The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1887-03-09
WEDNESDAY,. MARCH 9, 1887
THE RAMIE INDUSTRY.

Mr.. Edward Lycan contributes ?
letter to the Gazette" on the status Of
the ramie growing and manufacturing
industry in these islands. He goes
back to tell of the ramie seed imported
by the late DR.. Hillebrand from Cali.
fornia and China some Of which wos
planted in the Waikiki district, Maui,
and some in the Kona district, Hawaii.
1t was neglected in both places and in
Waikiki has been kept down by cattle,
but that in Kona has spread among
even Hilo grassandlantana thatitnow
covers space of about thirteen acres
Mr. Lycan then discusses machines
fer the cleaning Of ramIe fibre, in o
way to signify that none of those in
vented abroad are up to all the require
ments Of profitable manufacture here.
Mr.. c. c. Coleman's efforts to produce
a machine with partial success are
cited, and the writer Of the letter tells
Of his improving the Coleman inven-
ton into a new machine, with his sub
seqpent attempts TO improve upon that
one, until he has achieved measure
Of success very encouraging He has.
he says, perfected a machine that never
cuts the fibre, nor can the fibre by
any possibility be tangled while being
cleaned. The proved capacity Of the
-,seV. machine 10 ar laesi one ton t2.ooo-
pounds) per day 1t needs two men,
two boys and one.horse-power engine
to operate. The product is clean
ramie bark, and at present is worth
ten to fifteen cents per pound"
Mr.. Lycan is sanguine Of the ramie
industry becoming an assured success
in this country. To quote his own
words; "The Hawaiian Ramie Com
pany Limited owns the two Coleman
machines and the two invented by me,
has thiriy.six acres Of ramie growing
on the plantation in Puma (4oo acres),
where over $Ia, 1000 has been spent in
improvements, and we can now conf
dentally say that at last the ramie in
dustry here is an assured fact, and that
the business will prove at least as profit
able as sugar" He further says that
the plant will thrive wherever sugar
does, while it needs no cultivation ex-
cept to keep the grass and weeds out
the FIRST year. The cost for the first
year, including the seed, he gives at
$roo per acre, after which the only
expense is for cutting and stripping of
the leaves. safer the first year." Mr..
Lycan adds, 1--WE can cut three or four
crops every year, depending on condi.
tions of soil, ETC., and will get from a
ton and half to two tons and a
half Of fibre to the acre for each
crop, and at five cents per pound, tax
ing three crops and a ton and a half to
the acre, we have as result gross re-
ceipts $3.50 per acre per annum, and
say that cleaning and marketing, ETC.,
IA very high estimate) cost three
quarters, we have as net result $IIa.5o
for every acre planted in ramie."
Should this demonstration of the
possibilities Of ramie culture and man.
ufacture in these islands prove correct
through results Of the large enterprise
Of the Hawaiian Ramie Company, it
will doubtless not be long before ramie
fields will be under cultivation and ma
chimes set up in every district of the
group. The speedier that end is adj
vanced the sooner will the country
gain heart lost through the continued
depression in sugar. All honor to the
perseyering improver Of the decortlcat-
ing implement and the enterprising
capitalists backing him, for their public
spirited efforts TO bring about so de-
sirable contamination.
The finder Of silver watch with
xahtahta atfarL,,,o,tc 4; n -